My Hoya Kerrii is growing but the new leaves are deformed. Any suggestions on how to solve the problem?? Since I brought the plant, there are 4 new leaves but they all look funny. They are either not a heart shape or they look unhealthy. Can anyone suggestion a solution ? Thanks !
Blistering may be edema. Suggest longer intervals between watering. Leaf shape perhaps not deformity but maturation: as the plant gets older, its leaves may vary from those it produced when young. How old is the plant, how long have you had it, and under what conditions is it growing ? Check the plant thoroughly for any unwanted insect or fungal visitors. and be sure that all conditions (light, temperature, moisture) are hoya-friendly. Be especially sure that it is growing in good well-drained soil.
Thank you for your quick response ! I got the plant for only 1 year. I think you are absolutely right about watering too frequently! Recently the weather becomes warmer and I might be watering too often. I will change to a longer intervals between watering. Thank you! By the way, I just checked my plant carefully and I find some sticky stuff like spider web on the leave. Do you think it is another problem or disease ? If yes, what should I do ? Thank you so much for your help!
That looks like spider mites (and a mealy bug as well?), and they could be causing the leaf problems too. Do you have a place you can spray the leaves and stems, all of them, everywhere, with water, every three or four days, for a month or two? It's kind of a problem if you've been overwatering, as water is going to get into the soil all those times, but those bugs are hard to get rid of and the more leaves you have, the more of a nuisance it is to deal with them. I would even suggest cutting the plant back quite a bit so that you have fewer leaves to deal with and can be sure to remove all the bugs (which are too small to really see) and all the webs, and make sure that the newly hatched bugs are removed as well. And if you have other plants, have a good look at them to see if there are any webs. Those things travel. Me, I would get rid of any plant with spider mites that I didn't absolutely love. Unless you only have the one plant or just a few and you can really work on getting rid of the bugs. Other people may suggest a different approach.
Hi Wendy: Thank you for your advice. I have more than 10 plants all on the same table facing the window :( I just moved the Hoya Kerrii away now and will follow your suggestion to wash the plant tomorrow. I hope the bugs hasn't spread yet. I also have a hoya compacta which might be hard to wash the leaves. I will watch all my plants carefully for now. By the way, where are these little bugs come from ? I never take my plants outdoor. I just purchased two new plants recently but I put them under quarantine for a week before putting them close together on the table. Should I keep new plants away for a longer period of time or these bugs are just unavoidable? Thank you for your advice.
I suggest you confirm the presence of a pest before applying any sort of treatment; it may save you a lot of trouble. I do not see definitive proof of a pest from the photos. Spider mite silk is fine and lacks any sort of sticky (liquid) substance. This looks different. Is there webbing in other parts of the plant? Use a magnifying glass or loupe if you have one, to have a closer look at plant surfaces. Alternatively, place the plant over a sheet of white paper, give it a sharp tap or two, then look for tiny moving specks on the paper. Also, since the two most affected leaves are near the webbing, put extra effort into looking at their top and bottom surfaces for a pest.
There is no other webbing on other parts of the plant. I did the taping and didn't see any moving specks on paper. I use Q-tips and remove the sticky silk and they comes off easily; however, white milky liquid comes out from the leaves and the air roots after I touched and cleaned it. I think I should be more gentle next time. My plant is not big. I will wash each leaves and keep the plant away away from others just in case. Thank you for all the responds!!
OK, that's good. I just remember that I posted a deformed leaf on a different kind of hoya one year, and two years later I found the mealy bugs. It had a zillion leaves by then and it was impossible to get rid of the bugs in so many hiding places, though I tried for several years. But when the bugs moved on to another plant I liked (and one I didn't care about), I gave up and got rid of it. Stay vigilant.
Hi Wendy, I will stay vigilant. I checked all my plants and find one that might have a problem; leaves on that plant have some kind of white powder or dust on them. I am not sure they are pest as my eye sight are not good. Anyway, I washed that plants also. Hopefully everything will be OK. Thank you to you all!
